Churches to Visit in the Czech Republic
A country with a Gothic cathedral in its castle, the best Baroque interior in central Europe at the bottom of the hill, and a chapel decorated with forty thousand people an hour up the line.
Bohemia got rich early and stayed Catholic under protest, and both facts are visible in its churches. The Gothic buildings were paid for by silver and by Charles IV's ambition to make Prague an imperial capital. The Baroque interiors were installed afterwards, on top of them, by a Counter-Reformation determined to be more spectacular than the Protestant austerity it replaced. You can usually see the join, and it is the most interesting thing in the building.
Where to start
Prague
Nine churches worth the walk, grouped so you don't cross the river four times. The castle cathedral, the Baroque showpiece, and the Gothic one whose door nobody can find.
Kutná Hora
An hour east of Prague. A miners' cathedral, an ossuary, and a Santini interior that most day trips drive straight past.
Practical notes for the whole country
| Opening hours | Short and seasonal. Many interiors close at four, and Monday closures are common outside Prague |
|---|---|
| Sundays | Most churches close to sightseers during morning Mass and reopen in the afternoon |
| Admission | Modest almost everywhere, and combined tickets are usually the better buy where they exist |
| Photography | Generally allowed without flash. Two exceptions matter: the Sedlec Ossuary, where it is restricted, and any building holding a service |
| Getting around | Trains are cheap, punctual and reach nearly everything in this guide. A car is not needed |
Coming next
Olomouc, Český Krumlov, Brno and the Santini pilgrimage church at Zelená Hora are all on the list. This guide is built one region at a time rather than published half-finished across forty countries, so the Czech pages will grow before anything else appears.